But China’s scientists have hitched rides for thousands of seeds as part of a program to mutate them and turn them into high-yielding crops on earth, viewed as unusual by Western scientists because irradiating seeds can be done more easily in a laboratory. So far, according to Liu Luxiang, the director of the Center of Space Breeding at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China has approved for farming 11 types of seeds that are descended from those irradiated in space including six types of rice, two types of wheat, one green pepper, a tomato and a sesame seed. China’s state-run media have also heralded cucumbers from space, saying they taste better and resist diseases.
Actually, it has been illegal to prohibit the teaching of evolution at school, district, or state level since Epperson v. Arkansas in 1968. Some teachers leave it out, but it’s at their discretion, not forbidden. Off the top of my head, Kansas, Ohio, and Pennsylvannia have adopted state statutes that actually standardize their high school biology curricula to include evolution. All the “equal time” provisions have been struck down, and even the states/schools that put a disclaimer in their bio programs to the effect that evolution is a theory rather than explicit fact (that is, they give an honest description) are under siege. And the teaching of Creation Science/Intelligent Design Theory/Whatever is always threatened by the fact that one pissed off parent could point to the court-recognized principle that those theories, at least as usually taught, serve to endorse belief in a particular religion.
I’ve heard a lot of people say similar stuff though. Where does that notion that IN AMERIKKKA WE ONLY TEACH THE GOD-FEARING KIND OF SCIENCE really come from? If it’s just Scopes monkey trial stuff, then it’s a long out-of-date conviction.
Don’t you understand? If America isn’t the primary wrongdoer in any frame of reference for a discussion, then millions (hundreds) (a bunch) of self loathers will be out of a job.
After all, how can moral relativism prevail if our culture doesn’t have equivalently awful examples to set forth for everything radical Islam (for instance) has to offer?
As usual, you mistake your hatred for objective criticism. Try thinking of any country that you, personally, are so quick to characterize as childlike. Now focus on the irony in your post.
Back on topic, my guess would be that it’s just a big PR thing in China. I’m sure it’s costing them a ton of cash to put someone in space. From what I’ve read, the populace is pretty well behind the idea. But still, it can’t hurt to tell them that they’re going to get fresher, better tasting space vegetables out of the whole deal. Sort of a “Look what a great government we are and how much we care about you? Who needs democracy when you’ve got space vegetables?” sort of thing.
Hell, I love democracy, but I’d gladly trade it for space vegetables.[/quote]
You should move out here. It’ll probably be a proposition in the next California election.
